The Seventh Door

An oncologist reflects on the personal toll physicians experience while taking care of the very sick and the journey they must take, facing real and perceived failures when patients suffer poor outcomes, to find the renewed energy to go on with their chosen mission.     

Perceived Benefits and Challenges of Interprofessional Education Based on a Multidisciplinary Faculty Member Survey

Objective: To identify differences among faculty members in various health professional training programs in perceived benefits and challenges of implementing interprofessional education (IPE).Methods: A 19-item survey using a 5-point Likert scale was administered to faculty members across different health disciplines at a west coast, multicollege university with osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, and physician assistant programs.Results: Sixty-two of 103 surveys (60.2%) were included in the study. Faculty members generally agreed that there were benefits of IPE on patient outcomes and that implementing IPE was feasible. However, group differences existed in belief that IPE improves care efficiency (p=0.001) and promotes team-based learning (p=0.001). Program divergence was also seen in frequency of stressing importance of IPE (p=0.009), preference for more IPE opportunities (p=0.041), and support (p=0.002) within respective college for IPE.Conclusions: Despite consensus among faculty members from 3 disciplines that IPE is invaluable to their curricula and training of health care students, important program level differences existed that would likely need to be addressed in advance IPE initiatives.     

The linguistically aware teacher and the teacher-aware linguist

This review evaluates issues of teacher linguistic knowledge relating to their work with children with speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCD). Information is from Ellis and McCartney [(2011a). Applied linguistics and primary school teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press], a state-of-the-art text deriving from a British Association of Applied Linguistics/Cambridge University Press expert seminar series that details: linguistic research underpinning primary school curricula and pedagogy; the form of linguistic knowledge useful for teachers supporting children with SLCD in partnership with speech and language therapists; and how and when teachers acquire and learn to apply such knowledge. Critical analysis of the options presented for teacher learning indicate that policy enjoinders now include linguistic application as an expected part of teachers' professional knowledge, for all children including those with SLCD, but there is a large unmet learning need. It is concluded that there is a role for clinical linguists to disseminate useable knowledge to teachers in an accessible format. Ways of achieving this are considered.     

Evaluation of the “Take Five School”: An education programme for people with Type 2 Diabetes in the Western Cape,South Africa

AimTo evaluate the Take Five School (TFS) group education programme for patients with Type 2 Diabetes in South Africa.MethodsQuestionnaires, administered before and after 4 sessions of an hour each of group education, measured the effect on self-care activities in 84 patients from 6 different clinics. Individual interviews with health care workers (HCWs) and focus group interviews (FGI's) with patients explored attitudes.ResultsA significant improvement in adherence to a diabetic diet, physical activity, foot care and the perceived ability to teach others was seen. There was no significant change in smoking or adherence to medication. Qualitative data revealed that comprehensive education was appreciated, that the group process was deemed supportive, that HCWs doubt the effect of education in general and that a combination of group and individual sessions was seen as an option worth exploring. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the TFS are identified. Recommendations are made to improve the programme and its environment.ConclusionSignificant self-reported improvements in self-care activities after a group-education programme support the view that introducing structured group education for Type 2 Diabetics in a South African public sector primary care context holds promise. Group education for diabetics, especially in resource limited settings, should be sustained and further research should focus on clinical outcomes.     

以全科医生团队为基础的老年骨质疏松症健康教育效果分析

目的探讨以全科医生团队为基础的系统健康教育效果.方法在前期课题所积累得到的322例60～80岁骨质疏松症患者中,随机抽取参加系统健康教育的患者79例作为干预组,未参加系统健康教育的患者103例作为对照组,对两组患者进行“骨质疏松知识问卷”的现场问卷调查.结果在28项问答中,有23项回答正确率干预组明显高于对照组（P＜0.05）,5项回答正确率接近（P＞0.05）.结论以全科医生团队为基础的系统健康教育对提高骨质疏松症患者的相关知识具有较大帮助,但健康教育内容与方式有待进一步改善.     

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database

Abstract

Well-documented, up-to-date, scientific information regarding the use of herbal medicines can be difficult to find. This article reviews the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database Web sites. The Web sites contain a large database of information regarding herbal medicines.     

超声心动图辅助教学系统的研发与应用

根据超声心动图学的教学特点,应用Adobe Flash CS5为开发工具,以权威性专业协会组织最新颁布的指南或建议为蓝本,设计开发集图、文、动画、视频为一体的交互式超声心动图辅助教学系统.经实践表明,该系统能够提高超声心动图教学的质量和效果,具有较高的推广应用价值.     

在医学院校开展性教育的探索与思考

总结了在医学院校开展性教育11年来的经验,探讨了大学阶段开展性教育的必要性,大学性教育的目标和内容选择以及大学性教育的适宜方式和途径等问题.     

Access to Online Information by Adult Saudi Cancer Patients

Abstract

The proportion of Saudi cancer patients who utilize online information resources is unknown; therefore, this project was designed to characterize Internet utilization by this group. Saudi cancer patients who met defined eligibility criteria responded to a questionnaire to examine Internet utilization, barriers to access, and information needs. Of the 150 patients included, only 19 (13%) used the Internet to receive online information. From patients' perspectives, inability to use a computer (57%), limited English language proficiency (55%), and not knowing about online resources (44%) were the most frequent barriers. A multivariate analysis showed that owning a personal computer was the only variable that distinguished Internet users from nonusers. This study provides the only available data concerning access to Internet information by cancer patients in Saudi Arabia. The study showed that the access rate is unacceptably low due to several barriers. Prompted by the study results, pragmatic recommendations are provided.